Published: September 15, 2009 03:43 pm      

RANDOM THOUGHTS: The origins of Johnny Appleseed

Pinocchio has been in my thoughts recently. Before that little wooden boy became a real boy, he learned a hard lesson. Each time he told a lie his nose grew longer. Several days after my column on Sept. 2, titled “Individuals find a way to help others” appeared I received an e-mail and phone call from Tim Oliver, owner of Timco Construction. He pointed out several mistakes in the column on the information about Veterans Appreciation Day. I apologize most sincerely, Tim, and I am happy to make the corrections.

In that Random Thoughts column, I used information which had appeared previously announcing the date of the third year Veterans Appreciation Day would be held. That early story gave credit to Ron Dyer for starting the event. Wrong. The right person was Tim Oliver, who remembered the telegram his mother received with the tragic news her husband had been killed during the 1944 Normandy invasion. As he thought about how many families and their loved ones had endured during those days, he went beyond thinking about it. Tim Oliver became the sole founder and sponsor of Veterans Appreciation Day, an individual who found a way to help others.

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We are approaching the birth date of another individual who made a difference. John Chapman was born in Massachusetts on Sept. 26, 1774. Years later, after he was known as Johnny Appleseed, some of those who were around at his birth wove sentimental tales of that day. All were rich in imagination.

One told the day was filled with rain, thunder and lightning but when he was born a glorious rainbow appeared and one end appeared in the Chapman’s backyard. It was caught in an apple tree and, miraculously, all the blossoms on the tree turned to every color of the rainbow. Another said that as a baby, when he saw or touched an apple blossom, he was filled with joy and smiled like an angel.

The Chapman family was poor and lived in a variety of places. Shortly before 1800 they arrived in Pennsylvania and Johnny began his life’s mission, planting appleseeds and spreading the gospel of the Swedenborian/ New Jerusalem church.

When he began, he collected the juice pomace from cider mills and carefully washed out all the seeds. After they had dried in the sun, he filled flour sacks and leather pouches and began his journey north. By 1801, he had established seedling apple nurseries from the Allegheny to central Ohio. Each nursery was protected from animals by a fence enclosure.

Johnny would leave them in the care of a neighbor who would sell them when they were ready to transplant. They could be sold for cash or goods, but his primary concern was that they be planted and spread around the area. He returned every year or two to check on the progress.

A barefoot, poorly clothed, eccentric itinerant, all described Johnny, but he was a welcome visitor. Along with his seeds he carried printed material about the Swedenborg beliefs and also gave the message orally. His respect for all of God’s creatures was evident.

Although the apple was introduced in America in l629 it was Johnny Appleseed’s roaming mission that spread apple trees across the nation. Even those places where he did not visit have trees grown from seeds he gave to pioneers heading west. Each time we enjoy an apple we should give a thought to this early conservationist, naturalist.

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Dorothy Copus Brush is a Fairfield Glade resident and Crossville Chronicle staffwriter whose column is published each Wednesday. She may be reached at dcb1@frontiernet.net.